The shape of the guitar is often compared with the curves of the female body. Indeed, it is a beautiful musical instrument from which the master can extract amazing sounds. But caring for a guitar should be as careful as treating a woman you love. We will tell you about the main secrets in the article.
How to care for the guitar and what details to pay special attention to?
The guitar consists of several components, and each of them in its own way "suffers" during use:
- The strings. Of course, the easiest way to replace them with new ones after the N-th time of the game, but this is not necessary.
- Vulture and frets. The musician's hands inevitably sweat during the game, which means that sweat and sebum will contaminate these elements. Hence the poor sound (sweat gradually corrodes the frets, a process similar to corrosion occurs), and the instrument’s unaesthetic appearance (the fretboard will darken, will look oily).
- Other metal elements of the guitar. Here the problem is the same as with the frets, the destructive effect of sweat falling on the metal.
- Tool body. During use, cracks, chips may appear on the case, the varnish will fade and become stained. The reason for this is very often - improper storage. The guitar should be monitored very carefully if you want the instrument to serve you faithfully for a long time.
Now that we have found out what problems may affect certain elements of the guitar, we will go directly to the intricacies of caring for your favorite.
Care in detail
How to care for the guitar in terms of string cleaning? To prevent deposits from forming dust, sweat and particles of skin on your hands, use a clean, dry cotton cloth, such as a regular handkerchief, after each session.
Next - mode sills. It is very convenient to clean them to shine with the help of steel wool.
How to store a guitar so that its neck is always in perfect condition? Regularly cleanse it of sweat and sebum. Important: the neck is cleaned only when the strings are removed, for example, when you decide to change them. By the way, good strings, like complete guitar kits, can be bought in the online store on . There you can also consult about the features of caring for the tool.
So, varnished vultures are cleaned with special products for varnished surfaces. But to care for unvarnished use lemon or gun oil. Simply spread a few drops of the product over the bar and rub the surface with a soft cotton cloth.
The metal elements of the guitar are cleaned with ordinary engine oil. A soft toothbrush will help you get to the grooves. Make sure that oil does not get on the wooden tool body!
Finally, let's talk about caring for the guitar body. If it is varnished, then first wipe it with a cloth moistened with a mild detergent solution. When the body dries, we process it with polish. It will help smooth out small cracks and scratches on the varnish, make the surface shiny. Rub the polish in a circular motion with the same cotton cloth.
If the case is not varnished, then dry cleaning and processing with special oils and waxes are used.
How to store a guitar?
The guitar is mainly made of wood, and it is very sensitive to changes in humidity and air temperature. Hence the requirements for storing the tool. So how to keep your guitar at home?
- Requirements for temperature - plus 10-25 ° C, for humidity - 50-60%. If you exceed these indicators, the varnish layer may begin to soften, the wood swell and warp.
- Keep your guitar away from windows and radiators (at least 1.5 meters).
- The instrument should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
- The fact that the soft cover protects the guitar when it hits or falls is a fallacy. A much better hard case can handle this.
- Do not think that by closing the guitar in a sealed case (box, bag, etc.), you will protect it from dust and other aggressive environmental factors. It can literally suffocate, so that the cover must be ajar - for proper air circulation.
- Do not forget to loosen the strings if you leave the guitar for long-term storage (more than 1 month).